Photo by Kyle Parmley.
Briarwood’s Taylor Wheat (20) is at home behind the plate, serving as the Lions’ catcher.
Taylor Wheat is most comfortable playing in the dirt. She’s made it her home.
“Softball is my main thing,” the Briarwood Christian School senior said.
Specifically, Wheat spends most of her time crouched behind home plate as the Lions’ catcher during games. But even when she’s not playing, it’s rare not to find her at the high school field.
“She’s always out here during practice, the end of practice, always asking me to come out here on the weekends. She can’t get enough of softball, and I love that about her,” said Ashley Segreto, the second-year coach at Briarwood.
Segreto said Wheat is one of the hardest-working players she has coached, a trait that bodes well for a Briarwood team that has no other seniors. All eyes are on her.
“Everybody looks up to her,” Segreto said. “She was a leader last year as a junior too, just as much as the other seniors. She has opened up to the younger girls.”
Segreto appreciates the contributions of her lone senior so much, she has even started working Wheat some on the left side of the infield. Whether she plays much out there remains to be seen, but a move to third base or shortstop leaves a void at the catching position.
“She might play some infield, but she’s just too much of a leader to take that [catcher] spot away from her 100 percent,” Segreto said.
Wheat recently signed with Coastal Alabama Community College’s south campus to continue her softball career beyond this final high school season.
“It solidifies that all her extra work is paying off,” Segreto said. “She’s a great example to the girls to be the first one out here and the last to leave. Her success will carry over into college for sure.”
There was a brief time last spring when Wheat’s athletic future was in question. She began noticing she was constantly fatigued and awoke last Easter with a pain in her stomach. After some tests, she was diagnosed with diabetes.
But she wasn’t about to let that keep her out for long. Within a week, she was back on the field.
“I just know that this is my game, and this is what I’ve been doing it for the longest time,” Wheat said.
Segreto fondly recalls an evening when Wheat was in the hospital but could hardly stand not being out on the field with her teammates. As soon as she was able, she got back on the dirt and finished the season strong, batting for a .376 average and driving in 35 runs last year.
“She loves it out here way too much,” Segreto said. “This is just her life, and this is her family.”
For her final high school season, Wheat certainly wants to rack up as many wins as possible, but she’s more focused on the camaraderie of her team. Everything else will follow.
“You can’t really win games without chemistry,” she said. “We want to have all the girls getting along and having fun.”
It’s safe to say Wheat will leave a mark on the Briarwood softball program.
“They don’t get better than this,” Segreto said. “I wish I had a team full of them. We talk about leaving a legacy here, and she’s definitely going to do that, because the young girls have had many years of a great example of what a leader is all about.”
